SUPERANNUATION IN THE POOR-LAW SERVICE

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houses were without privies, the excrement and sewagebeing buried in the yards or thrown along the foreshore,one mile of which was reeking with the animal refuse ofthe town. Pig-sties abounded in populous places, evenunder the windows of dwelling-houses, many of whichwere unfit for habitation. Dr. Thorne concludes his reportby strongly recommending the adoption of the earth-

closet system, as at Hull, and the appointment of a medicaloflicer of health. If cleanliness is next to godliness, in what a pagan condition must not these Devonshire

villages be sunk ! But they are no worse than scoresof similar spots throughout the length and breadth of

England. ____

PRIZE FOR PHYSIOLOCICAL RESEARCHAT CAMBRIDGE.

MR. J. GEDGE, M.B., of Caius College, whose lamented.-death at Khartoum while accompanying Sir Samuel Baker’sexpedition as head of the medical staff, was lately recorded,has, by his will, made before he left England, bequeathed£1000 to accrue to the University of Cambridge upon thedeath of his mother for the purpose of founding a biennialprize for physiological research. He has thus handsomely Iand permanently associated his name with that sciencewhich he ardently cultivated, and took the keenest interestin promoting in the University. While at Cambridge hiswhole time was spent in the schools cf anatomy ; and thepreparations he has left are an evidence of his diligenceand skill. Mr. Gedge was a most truthful, high-mindedman, as well as an able investigator. Prcfessor Humphryhad a high opinion of him, and appointed him demonstratorof histology, in which capacity he served for three years,and relinquished it on leaving the country to join theAfrican expedition. He was competitor with Dr. Rutherfordfor the chair of Physiology at King’s College, and, thoughnot successful, received the support of some of the influen-tial electors.

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MAURITIUS.

By the latest accounts it appears that the Mauritius wasvisited by a cyclone and partial inundation from very heavyrains in the early part of January, by which much of thevegetable and other matters was deposited along the banksand outlets of the several streams. Owing to these circum-stances and the season of the year, fever has increased inPort Louis and all along the sea coast. The disease has

mainly prevailed among the civil population. Some casesof fever having appeared among the soldiers in Port Louisand at Fort St. George, these troops were, by order of themajor-general commanding, removed by rail to Mahebourg,where they still remain. Several cases of mild remittentfever appeared among the men of the 20th Regiment atMahebourg and the civil population of that district afterthe hurricane and inundation. The attacks in the soldiers,however, have been chiefly confined to men who had pre-viously suffered from ague in China.

SUPERANNUATION IN THE POOR-LAW SERVICE.

IT is well that the Act of Parliament granting super-annuation to the Poor-law medical officers was passed lastyear, as Mr. Stansfeld, the new President of the Poor-lawBoard, told his constituents at Halifax that he was not favourable to the principle. He thought that men shouldbe paid the market price for their labcur, and left toprovide for themselves. We hope that Mr. Stansfeld’s

opinions will be modified when he comes to have experiencein the difficulties felt in drawing the line where a

public servant becomes so incompetent as to render hisdismissal necessary. He will find that boards of guardians

have frequently great reluctance in discharging old andfaithful servants simply because they cannot exercise theirwonted energy. And we cannot help thinking that Parlia-ment is right in admitting that the principle of super-annuation is in many cases as advantageous to the publicas it is to the persons benefited. The argument beinggood for one class of Poor-law officers, it is good for all, andthe mere question of being continuously in the employ ofone or many boards of guardians ought not to influence theresult.

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SMALL-POX ENCAMPMENTS.

SURGEON-MAJOR ATCHISON proposes to mark out thecommons and waste lands nearest the suburbs attacked bysmall-pox, to erect a few tents or huts, and carry to themevery variolous case of whatsoever kind, description, orclass, without favour or distinction. He discountenancesbrick or walled enclosures, such as are now accumulatingon every side, intensifying the poison, and permanentlydamaging the districts in which they are placed.We have already advocated this plan for the treatment

of convalescents, and the relief of the local hospitals. Butwe fear the danger of removing patients to any consider-able distance at the acute stage of the disease will alwaysprove an insuperable objection to country and suburbanhospitals. ____

AN EXPLANATION REQUIRED.A CASE has lately been tried at Hertford, before Lord

Chief Justice Cockburn, in which the conduct of a medicalpractitioner has been very seriously called in question.The action was for loss of service by the seduction of theplaintiff’s niece, a young girl, and the defendant was aneighbour, an old man of seventy or more, who had beenreceived on terms of friendly intimacy at the plaintiff’shouse. The girl became pregnant; and the defendantdesired her to consult Mr. Tipple, a surgeon, of Baldock,promising that he would himself go and pave the way torher visit. It was given in evidence that she went to Mr.Tipple, who said that the defendant had spoken to himabout her, and who gave her a prescription containingaloes, iron, and oil of savine. The girl also stated that thedefendant told her he had several times spoken to Mr.Tipple about her, and that he was ready to perform anoperation upon her if she would go to London for a day ortwo. Now it is hard upon Mr. Tipple that such statementsshould have been made in his absence; and to anythingsaid by the defendant in the case we should attach veryslender credit. Mr. Tipple may be fairly called upon toexplain how it happened that he gave such a combinationof medicines to a young girl who was a stranger to him,and who came to him alone. The explanation, indeed, can

hardly be made too soon, or rendered too complete.SUPPOSED DRUNKARDS AND THE POLICE.

ANOTHER melancholy case of supposed drunkenness hasissued in a coroner’s inquiry. Mr. Scott, a master tailor,carrying on business in Cheapside, was found insensible, bya policeman, in the Borough Market. The policeman hadhim conveyed to the station on a stretcher, and sent forthe police-surgeon, whose assistant attended, and pro-nounced the case to be one of illness. Mr. Scott was thentaken to St. George’s Workhouse, to be attended by theparish doctor ; and he soon afterwards died. In this in-

stance the police seem to have acted properly in conveyingthe deceased to the station and in sending for the surgeon;but there must surely then have been grave neglect of dutysomewhere. It is inconceivable that Mr. Scott h,d no clue